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Arts Education

Arts Education Grantmakers in the Arts is committed to ensuring that all students have access to quality arts education. Research shows that access to arts education supports higher graduation rates, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and future arts participation. Yet low income students and students of color continue to lack access to everyday instruction in the arts while in school. GIA provides information, training, research, and other resources to support arts education funders in furthering their work and the field as a whole.

As the benefits of using a common agenda to solve complex social problems become better understood, the concept of using collective impact to advance arts education continues to gain traction. In a follow-up to the Spring 2013 webinar that provided an overview of the topic, the NEA will host a public webinar on how to begin and build collective impact initiatives on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Grantmakers in the Arts began its work to enhance the arts in federal education policy in 2012 when it created the Arts Education Funders Coalition, an interest group within GIA that is open to funders with an arts education passion and portfolio, whether they are members of GIA or not. Led by a small advisory committee, we contracted with Penn Hill Group, a Washington, D.C., policy and lobbying firm with expertise in education.
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In the latest GIA Podcast we speak with 2017 GIA Conference committee chair Regina Smith (The Kresge Foundation) and committee member and Detroit native Sharnita Johnson (Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation) about Detroit, and what to expect when visiting the city.